


A Man for All Seasons

by wonderble



Category: Toriko (Manga)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-29
Updated: 2013-03-29
Packaged: 2017-12-06 21:39:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/740452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonderble/pseuds/wonderble
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was just so much, Komatsu thought as he wrapped his arms around himself. More than the ingredients, more than the adventures, the kings brought new textures to his world, a new way to grasp his days, and a new contour that left him wondering if his whole life before had been like the city in late winter, shuttered and cold.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Man for All Seasons

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on: December 20, 2011. Canon compliant up to that date.

  
Komatsu didn't know quite how he felt about winter in the city ... or any season in the city, really. Since he worked at the hotel for most of the day, it wasn't like he saw much of the sun. Even in the summer, he arrived just as the first rays were appearing and left long after the last guest did, which meant only the muted stars were there to greet him. Winter hours, though, meant he began the days in darkness too.

  
Watching his breath coalesce in the streetlight in front of him, Komatsu rubbed his cheeks with his mittens. If he wanted to get somewhat poetic about it, he guessed he hadn't really experienced the sun, not truly, until Toriko came along and filled his days with the bright danger of their adventures.

  
And the seasons too; before, seasons came and went on the tide of local ingredients and available greens;  the sprightly spring turnlips, the sultry summery ice cabbage, the autumnal orange of lettuce nuts, and the winter brown tang of dill parsnips. Now, though, whenever he thought of summer, it would be with the memory of the heat and burn of the desert labyrinth, winter would be compared to the soul shaking cold of Ice Hell, spring would forever be in the sway of Vegetable Sky and the blooming scent of green. Autumn though -- he hadn't quite figured out just what would make his autumn memory, but given enough time with Toriko and the others, Komatsu knew it would come and it would be vibrant, full of flavors -- and not only those for the tongue, but for all his senses.

  
In comparison, the hush of the city in late winter could not compare. The holiday decorations had long gone, leaving the street lamps and building sides bare.  The shops and restaurants were all closed, the windows dark, and the people had all gone home. Only the occasional whirr off the passing traffic and his own footsteps provided any aural backdrop. Zebra, perhaps, could have made a mosaic in the more hidden sounds, but Komatsu knew his own senses weren't so keen.

  
Four more blocks, twenty more minutes of shivering, and he was at his own apartment complex again. He paused a moment, staring up at the monolith,  looking up, ever up, to the stars that the city lights blocked out. Coco could probably see them, though. Toriko could have smelled a hundred thousand smells that his nose was too numb to process. And Sunny ... no telling what textures he could feel, beyond just the skin tingling sensation of the wind against his reddened cheeks. The world must be so alive for the four kings; sometimes he envied them. Most times, though, he just tried to keep up.

  
It was just so much, Komatsu thought as he wrapped his arms around himself. More than the ingredients, more than the adventures, the kings brought new textures to his world, a new way to grasp his days, and a new contour that left him wondering if his whole life before had been like the city in late winter, shuttered and cold. Before the kings . . .  
  


[What in the fuck are you doin' shaking around out there, brat?!  We're all starving, Poison Pants has gone all mopey, Pretty Boy is all in a huff, Toriko's nearly emptied out your fridge, and I think I broke your toilet. Hell, I don't think we're meant to be cramped up together like this! Did you forget we're campin' out here so that we can get an early start on the hunt tomorrow?!]

  
Turning in the air, with the rough voice wrapping around him, Komatsu laughed. "Coming, Zebra-san! And no, I didn't forget! I don't think I ever could forget ..."

  
He would never experience it in the same way they did, but in the wake of the Four Heavenly Kings, the world opened up, just a bit more. And perhaps, he too, could bring something else to them as well, even if it wasn't whole seasons -- perhaps one new day.

.

[BOY! I can still hear your shivering your ass off! MOVE!]

.

"COMING!"

  
End

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written as a writing exercise. Somehow, it got away from me. Eh.
> 
> Much love and thanks go to: latenightiridescence, nitrocherry, pisceantea, jennpy, deathangel499297, and yummybaconofdoom for supporting the story when it was first posted on Tumblr. Y'all have to stop doing that if you want to stop me writing. ^___^


End file.
